Powerful collaboration on Arab youth employment

The partnership brings together, a regional initiative in Silatech; a national organization focused on the growth and well-being of Qatari youth, in QSN; and a leading international organisation with a significant and positive track-record in education and bridge-building in the British Council.

The three organisations brought an informed and representative voice of young people from across the MENA region to the Silatech Youth Summit (6-7th June, 2009) and the Silatech Doha Summit on Young People, Enterprise and Employment (8th June, 2009).

The fifty young business leaders whose thriving businesses range from dental supplies to educational products for children, came to the Summit from 14 countries across the Middle East and North Africa; Qatar, Kuwait, KSA, Bahrain, Yemen, Oman, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, together with two participants from the UK.

They came to Doha to share their experiences and generate ideas on opportunity creation for young people across the Middle East and North Africa. They were selected through a competitive process on the basis of their track record of success and their potential to contribute to future job creation.

The visiting entrepreneurs first participated in a special two-day workshop entitled the Silatech Youth Summit on 6 & 7 June, organised by the British Council, and the Qatari Students Network in collaboration with Silatech. The Youth Summit encouraged the participants to relate their own experiences on entrepreneurship, job creation and employability to the broader context in the Middle East.

The two day gathering aimed to enhance the participants' effectiveness as role models and leaders and establish a network amongst them. The program was facilitated by Professor Stephen Hill of University of Glamorgan and featured a number of high profile guest speakers, including his Excellency President Martti Ahtisaari, the former president of Finland, and 2008 Nobel Prize winner.

Qatari Students Network president, Ahmad AlMostafawi commented, "The two-day Youth Summit brought together successful entrepreneurs who have bucked the trend in the Arab world and generated work for themselves and others. The Youth Summit enabled them to share experiences from their diverse countries and generate some innovative ideas for stimulating youth employment around the region."

Ahmed Younis, Silatech Director of Strategic Partnerships said:

"We are honored to co-host the Silatech Youth Summit with the Qatari Students Network and the British Council prior to the June 8 Silatech Doha Summit. We at Silatech envision a world in which every young person is prepared to succeed, engaged in decent work, and pursuing their dreams - this event was organised pursuant to that vision."

Following the Youth Summit, the entrepreneurs attended the Silatech Annual Summit on Young People and Employment in the Arab World, held in Doha, Qatar on 8 June 2009. The Silatech Summit provided the young leaders with an opportunity to engage with influential regional and global leaders as it gathered leading organisations, policy makers and thought-leaders to discuss the impact of the current global economic downturn on young people and what regional responses might be appropriate.

The three partners welcomed the participation of the entrepreneurs, "These dynamic young businessmen brought with them a wealth of first-hand experience of job creation, as well as knowledge of the employment situation faced by their peers, that provided invaluable input to our Annual Summit," commented Ahmed Younis, Silatech Director of Strategic Partnerships.

Four of the young entrepreneurs were invited to take part in a panel discussion ('a dialogue with young people') which formed one of the main events in the summit. Watched by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned, and senior figures from around the world, including a Nobel Laureate, ex- Presidents of Ireland and Finland, Government Ministers and CEOs of major organisations, they discussed a wide range of topics related to employability and entrepreneurship. Their well-thought out ideas and their positive attitudes generated much optimism for the future.

British Council Director Simon Winetroube commented; "We were excited by the potential of the 50 young business leaders to bring a fresh dimension to the Doha Summit on Young People, Enterprise and Employment. This proved to be the case. Throughout the Doha Summit, speakers and participants commented on the value of the youth participation in the event. I hope the ideas generated will ultimately enable many more young people to participate in the knowledge economy."

In the evening, the 50 Global Changemakers were honoured that Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser AlMisnad agreed to have a photo taken with them. Although it was expected that she would only have time for a few moments for the photo, she spent around 20 minutes chatting to the young people.